Six Mile Creek Serrated

Pictures by Jim Tatum and Paleo Enterprises

The Six Mile Creek Serrated point is a short, broad subtype of the Kirk serrated family. It was first described by James Gray (1975). The type was named for the Six Mile Creek site just north of Tampa, Florida where the greatest single concentration of these points had been recovered Examples were also described by Wilfred T. Neil (1976) from Taylor County, Florida.

The Six Mile Creek Serrated is a short, broad, medium-sized point averaging from 2 to 3 inches in length. The blade is developed with percussion flaking across the face. The heavily serrated convex blade edges meet at a broad distal land. John Powell (1990) suggested that serration scars typically appear on one face, however, Gray illustrated by-facial flake scars. Both techniques seem to be used on all Kirk Serrated points. The cross-section is generally thinner than most typical Kirk Serrated points. The shoulders are straight to slightly tapered. Stem edges are straight or expanding. These edges may be flat, convex, or concave. Basil corners are rounded or sharp.

A single shoulder blade of this type was recovered from the Early Archaic level of the Page/Ladson site (test G, level A) about 80 to 100 cm above the Bolen component that dates to 10,000 years old (plus/-60 years). A similar example with the same repair/rejuvenation pattern was recovered by Wilfred T. Neil (1976) from Taylor County, Florida. The example was recovered in context with Arredondo and Bolen points at the surface of the hard pan layer. These evidences support the use of the Six mile Creek Serrated type from between 8500 and at least 7500 years ago. Their recovery in association with Putnam and Marrow Mountain types in the Tampa Bay, Florida area may suggest their endurance into the Middle Archaic period.